VIEWERS VIEWS

I would like to praise ABC for its outstanding presentation of “Surviving,” which dealt with teen-age suicide. To me, Marsha Mason, Ellen Burstyn, Molly Ringwald and the rest of the brilliant cast gave the greatest performances presented on television so far this year.

Randy Emerian, Fresno

I am 17 and have very seriously thought about committing suicide. However, after watching “Surviving,” I realized I could never put my parents through that amount of pain and suffering. The film really changed my mind and made me think twice.

H.B., Cerritos

After viewing “Surviving,” I am further convinced of ABC’s ability to trivialize serious issues, i.e., homosexuality, incest and whatever else is a “hot” issue. Assuming that the viewing audience is only white, upper-middle-class families (as are the families depicted), these shows still offer very little insight or education. I wish ABC would stick to obtuse, one-dimensional programming and leave intelligence to PBS, NBC or Benny Hill.

Andrea Battiste, Los Angeles

TV recently has shown dramas about homosexuality, adolescent suicide and a rehash of the Atlanta murders. This is not entertainment. It’s not even interesting.

Lily M. Lewis, Costa Mesa

I went into “The Atlanta Child Murders” expecting to see the exploitation of a tragic event and the “Hollywoodizing” of crimes against children. What I found was a sensitive, insightful drama that questioned our justice system and shed new light on the incident rather than simply retelling it. I have to applaud CBS for its diligence. The miniseries was first-rate.

Matt Thompson, Marina del Rey

I sincerely pity those viewers who watched “The Atlanta Child Murders” and insisted that it distorted facts. The program did not claim to be purely factual, and its beautiful treatment of a difficult subject made it far superior to the average miniseries.

Janet Smith, Los Angeles

“Sara” has delighted me on Wednesdays with her sensitivity, charm, sense of humor and great looks. In contrast with today’s image of the young professional woman as driven and ambitious, “Sara” offers a refreshing change and shows that it’s not necessary to relinquish one’s femininity and vulnerability to be successful.

Lori Sandstedt, Cucamonga

The little girl in “The Bad Seed” remains a symbol. In the first version, Rhoda was zapped by lightning at the end. In the second version on ABC (her name was changed to Rachel), the ending was truer to our times.

Blair H. Allen, Cucamonga

Channel 5 butchered the beautiful musical “Fiddler on the Roof.” It is time that viewers stand up and demand to see good movies that have not been carved up to satisfy the dictates of profit. The wedding scene in “Fiddler,” one of the best ever put on film, was completely emasculated and it was nauseating.

Keith R. Buck, Pomona

I’m so sick of reading about Joan Collins and seeing her on TV. Enough is enough. Whenever she’s on TV, I turn to another channel. If she’s in a magazine, I don’t buy it.

Granada Lietz, Mission Hills

Send your views on television programming, personalities and trends to Viewers’ Views, c/o Television Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, Calif. 90053. Letters must be signed with full name and address.